MacBook Pro with External Monitor... can you calibrate it?

[pindman]

I'd like to give my daughter my Eizo FlexScan L997 monitor to use with her MacBook Pro.  As a Windows user, I'd like to know if it can be set up to use the Eizo to show the image, and the MacBook monitor to show the tools, curves, layers, histograms, etc. in Photoshop.  The following is the information I can obtain about her MacBook Pro:

i7 15.4" non-glare screen purchased August, 2011.  It has a Thunderbolt connector.  It is running OSX 10.6.8 (but may want to upgrade in the future).  As I have no experience in the Mac world, we'd greatly appreciate a few answers...

1.  Will the Macbook Pro support the above dual monitor configuration?

2.  Can the external monitor be calibrated?  (Don't care about the built in display)

3.  Does this require a special cable?

4.  I have an i1 Display 2 puck with Eye-One Match 3 software.  Will this work for calibration?  Also have an older ColorEyes Display puck with older software.  Will either of these work with the above system?  What will work for calibration?

Thanks in advance!

-Paul

[tastar]

The Eizo should plug into the Thunderbolt port using either a mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter (Apple part number MB570Z/A, cheaper 3rd-party parts are available) or a mini DisplayPort to DVI cable (3rd party part) (the specs that I found show that the display has a DVI-I port) and run at it's native 1600 x 1200 resolution. According to X-Rite's web site, the i1Display 2, i1Match v3.6.3 (free download from X-RIte) should work with 10.6.8 that is installed on her notebook. And, if she upgrades to Lion, also according to X-Rite's web site, you are entitled to: i1Profiler D2LionEdition-Free Update for all registered owners. I would call X-Rite to confirm all of this. Assuming that you've calibrated this display on a PC, using it as a second display on the MacBook Pro should give you the same calibration results that you are getting on a PC with the i1Display 2 and the i1Match software. An older instrument and software would be much less likely to work.

Tony

[Ellis Vener]

1) yes you can use two displays
2) If the Eizo FlexScan's are like their CG displays they have an internal video processor and thus can be profiled separately from the Mac Book Pro's ColorSync system. If not it is likely the case that only one display profile will be active at a time and will be applied to both displays - far from ideal - but if all you care about is the FlexScan calibrate & profile for that display.
3) Already answered.
4) Update to either an i1 Display pro or ColorMunki Display. A Datacolor Spyder 4 should as well.

[pindman]

Thanks for your help!!!  Will proceed as directed.

-Paul

[kaelaria]

Yes.

And it's not the monitor's internals that dictate if you can have separate profiles, it's the video card.  Virtually all cards in the last few years use separate LUTs (Look Up Tables) for each capable output.  That is what determines if you can have separate profiles or not.